Moving to Spain from the United Kingdom

This page explains the main routes, the documents the Spanish consulates in London, Manchester and Edinburgh ask for, and the first steps after you arrive. We prepare your paperwork and go with you to appointments in almost all of Spain; legal advice is given by our partner immigration lawyers.

Latest news

• 2026-09-22

  Immigration Regulation: family chapter updated, in force 22 Sept 2026

  The BOE consolidated text of the Immigration Regulation (Royal Decree 1155/2024) shows its family chapter (articles 93 onwards, which covers the permit for family members of Spanish nationals) updated and in force from 22 September 2026. It matters to British citizens joining a Spanish family member. Official source

• 2026-04-10

  EES fully operational: manual passport stamping has ended

  From 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System is fully operational at all external border crossing points of the countries using it, and manual stamping of passports is abolished. It applies to British citizens crossing the border on a short stay. Official source

• 2025-12-22

  GOV.UK guidance on the TIE for Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries

  GOV.UK published its guidance on registering as a resident and getting a TIE on 22 December 2025. It explains that a TIE marked "Articulo 50 TUE" shows rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, which concerns British citizens who were already living in Spain before 1 January 2021. Official source

Can you come without a visa?

With a British citizen passport you can stay in Spain and the rest of the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. Since 10 April 2026 your entries and exits are recorded digitally in the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) instead of with a passport stamp. ETIAS, the future online travel authorisation, is not in operation yet.

• The United Kingdom is on the EU list of countries whose nationals do not need a visa for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. The exemption covers British citizens; other types of British nationality are listed separately. Official source
• The 90 days are counted for the whole Schengen area, not country by country: visits to other Schengen countries in the previous 180 days count too. Time spent in Spain with a residence permit or a long-stay visa does not count towards the 90 days. Official source
• Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area. Official source
• The EES has been fully operational at all external border crossing points since 10 April 2026 and manual passport stamping has ended. On a short stay you may have to register your fingerprints and a photo at the border. Official source
• If you stay longer than allowed, the EES identifies it and records it. The UK government warns that overstaying the 90-day limit can lead to a ban on entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years. Official source
• ETIAS is not in operation and no applications are collected yet. The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch. When it starts, UK nationals will need it for short stays; the fee is EUR 20 and it is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires. Official source
• To stay more than 90 days for work, study or residence you need a national visa. You also need a national visa to work in Spain for less than 90 days. Official source
• A separate case, not a route for new arrivals: British nationals who were legally living in Spain before 1 January 2021, and their family members, keep their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. Their residence card is a TIE marked "Artículo 50 TUE", and with it they do not have to register in the EES. The older green certificate does not give that exemption, so the Spanish and British authorities recommend exchanging it for the TIE. Official source

After you arrive

1. TIE (foreigner identity card)

   If your visa or permit is for more than six months, you must apply in person for the TIE. The TIE proves that you are legally resident and exempts you from registering in the EES when you travel. Official source

   Deadline: Within one month of entering Spain (for employees and the self-employed, within one month of registering with Social Security).

2. Padrón (town hall registration)

   Everyone who lives in Spain must register in the padrón of the town where they usually live. You will be asked for the padrón certificate in many other procedures. Non-EU nationals without a long-term residence permit must renew the registration every two years. Official source

   Deadline: As soon as you have a home address.

3. Health cover

   If you receive a UK State Pension you may be entitled to an S1 form: the UK then pays for your state healthcare in Spain, and you must register the form with the Spanish Social Security (INSS). If you work in Spain, your cover comes from your Social Security contributions. Otherwise you need private health insurance. Official source

   Deadline: From day one; keep your cover active without gaps.

4. Social Security number (if you work)

   The Social Security Treasury (TGSS) gives each person a Social Security number. You apply with form TA.1 or online. Employees must be registered before they start working; self-employed workers within 3 months and before starting. Official source

   Deadline: Before your first day of work.

5. Bank account

   A Spanish account makes it easier to pay rent, utilities and insurance. Banks may charge up to 3 € per month for a basic payment account. Official source

   Deadline: In the first weeks.

6. Driving licence

   You can drive on your UK licence for six months after you become resident. Spain and the United Kingdom have had an exchange agreement since 16 March 2023, so you can exchange a UK licence for a Spanish one; for cars and motorcycles no test is needed. The DGT verifies the licence with a check code that you get from the DVLA (or the DVA in Northern Ireland). Official source

   Deadline: Apply for the exchange before the six months are over.

7. Tax: tell HMRC and check your Spanish tax residence

   Tell HMRC that you are leaving the UK (form P85, or the residence pages of your Self Assessment return). In Spain you become tax resident if you spend more than 183 days here in a calendar year, or if the main centre of your economic interests is in Spain. Plan your arrival date with a tax adviser. Official source

   Deadline: Spain counts per calendar year (1 January to 31 December); the UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April.

8. Renewals

   Do not let your permit expire. A non-lucrative permit is renewed at the Foreigners' Office during the two months before it expires. Telework visa holders can apply for the residence permit during the 60 days before the visa expires. Official source

   Deadline: Two months (60 days) before expiry.

Documents to prepare

• Valid passport. For the non-lucrative visa the consulates ask for at least 1 year of validity and two blank pages; passports issued more than 10 years ago are not accepted. Official source
• ACRO police certificate for your UK criminal record, not older than 6 months for the non-lucrative visa. The consulate in Edinburgh states that only the ACRO certificate is valid and that the Disclosure Scotland certificate is not accepted. Official source
• If you lived in another country during the last 5 years, a criminal record certificate from that country too. Official source
• Hague Apostille on UK documents. It is issued by the UK Legalisation Office, which you apply to online. ACRO police certificates and birth, marriage or death certificates from the General Register Office cannot get an electronic apostille: they need the paper one. Official source
• The apostille must certify the signature of the person who signed the certificate (the doctor, the police officer), not the signature of a notary or solicitor who did not issue it. Official source
• Medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner, issued in the United Kingdom or in Spain within the 3 months before you apply, stating that you do not have any disease that could have serious public-health consequences under the International Health Regulations (2005). If issued in the UK it needs the apostille and a sworn translation. Official source
• Health insurance certificate from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, or the receipt showing that you registered your S1 form on the Spanish Social Security website. Official source
• Proof of financial means: original, stamped documents showing a regular and sufficient income or assets that guarantee it. For accounts abroad, the documents must show the bank's name and address, the account details, and the balance at 31 December and the average balance of the previous year. The consulate in Edinburgh asks for 12 months of bank statements. Official source
• Proof that you live in the consular district, for example bills or bank statements with your name and address. Official source
• Family documents (marriage and birth certificates, or proof of a registered or stable partnership), apostilled and with an official translation into Spanish. Foreign documents in general must be apostilled and translated by a sworn translator. Official source

Taxes

• You are tax resident in Spain if you stay more than 183 days in the calendar year, or if the main base of your economic activities or interests is in Spain. Short absences count as days in Spain unless you prove tax residence in another country. Official source
• Workers who move to Spain can choose a special tax regime (often called the "Beckham law") for the year they arrive and the next five years, if they were not resident in Spain in the previous five years and meet the other conditions. Under it, income up to 600,000 € is taxed at 24% and the rest at 47%. Holders of the international telework visa who are employees are expressly included. Official source
• The option is made with form 149, within six months from the start date of the activity shown in your Spanish Social Security registration. Official source
• Spain and the United Kingdom have a double taxation convention, signed in 2013 and in force since 12 June 2014, so that the same income is not taxed twice. It has since been modified by the Multilateral Instrument. How each type of income is taxed depends on the convention; a tax adviser should review your case. Official source
• Pensions under the convention: as a general rule, a pension paid to a person resident in Spain can only be taxed in Spain. Pensions paid by the UK state or a UK local authority for government service are the exception: they are taxed only in the UK, unless the pensioner is both resident in Spain and a Spanish national. Official source
• Leaving the UK: you must tell HMRC if you leave to live abroad permanently. If you become non-resident you do not pay UK tax on income or gains from outside the UK, and you may be non-resident from the day after you leave, depending on how "split year treatment" applies to you. Official source
• UK State Pension: you can claim it while living in Spain, and it increases each year if you live in the European Economic Area. Official source

Notes for United Kingdom

• You must apply at the Spanish consulate for the place where you live. The Consulate General in London covers Greater London, the South West, the South East and the East of England, plus Jersey, Guernsey and the British Overseas Territories, including Gibraltar.
• The Consulate General in Manchester covers Wales, the Isle of Man, the North West (except Cumbria), Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the West Midlands.
• The Consulate General in Edinburgh covers Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley.
• Most national visa applications are handed in by appointment at the BLS visa application centre of each consulate (in London, 20 St Andrew Street; in Edinburgh, 6 Dock Place).
• For the UK criminal record the consulates ask for the ACRO police certificate. The consulate in Edinburgh does not accept the Disclosure Scotland certificate.
• UK documents are apostilled by the UK Legalisation Office. An ACRO certificate needs the paper apostille, not the e-Apostille.
• UK State Pensioners can use a registered S1 form as their health cover for the non-lucrative visa, according to the consulates in London and Edinburgh.
• Driving licences issued in the UK or Gibraltar can be exchanged for a Spanish one under the agreement applied since 16 March 2023. Licences issued in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man cannot be exchanged: their holders must pass the Spanish theory and practical tests.
• Spain and the UK have a double taxation convention, in force since 12 June 2014.

Common mistakes

• Counting the 90 days per country instead of for the whole Schengen area, or assuming the old EU rules still apply to British citizens.
• Sending a DBS or Disclosure Scotland certificate instead of the ACRO police certificate.
• Getting the apostille on a notary's or solicitor's signature instead of on the certificate itself, or ordering an e-Apostille for a document that needs the paper one.
• Presenting a medical certificate issued in a country other than the United Kingdom or Spain.
• Presenting travel insurance instead of a full health insurance policy valid in Spain, or an S1 form that has not been registered with the Spanish Social Security.
• Working, even remotely, while holding a non-lucrative permit.
• Missing the one-month deadline to apply for the TIE after arriving.
• Driving on a UK licence more than six months after becoming resident without having applied for the exchange.

Official sources used on this page

• EUR-Lex – Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, consolidated 30-12-2025 (Annex II: visa-exempt countries)
• EU – EES: FAQs (full operation from 10 April 2026; Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries)
• EU – ETIAS: What is ETIAS
• EU – ETIAS: Who should apply (United Kingdom; Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries)
• GOV.UK – Foreign travel advice, Spain: entry requirements
• GOV.UK – EU Entry/Exit System (guidance for UK nationals)
• GOV.UK – Living in Spain
• GOV.UK – Spain: registering as a resident and getting a TIE
• GOV.UK – Healthcare for UK nationals living in Spain (S1)
• GOV.UK – Get your document legalised (Legalisation Office, apostille)
• GOV.UK – Tax if you leave the UK to live abroad
• GOV.UK – State Pension if you retire abroad: rates
• GOV.UK – State Pension if you retire abroad: claim
• GOV.UK – Spain: tax treaties (2013 UK-Spain Double Taxation Convention)
• GOV.UK – UK/Spain agreement on the recognition and exchange of driving licences [CS Spain No.1/2023]
• Spain, Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Consulate General in London: National visas, general information
• Consulate General in London – Non-working (non-lucrative) residence visa
• Consulate General in Manchester – Non-lucrative residence visa
• Consulate General in Edinburgh – Non-lucrative residence visa
• Consulate General in London – Digital Nomad Visa (international telework)
• Consulate General in London – Employee visa
• Consulate General in London – Self-employed work visa
• Consulate General in London – Visa for highly qualified workers and intra-company transfers
• Consulate General in London – Study visa
• Consulate General in London – Visas for family members of a citizen of the Union and British beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement
• Consulate General in London – General scheme for the family reunification visa
• Embassy of Spain in London – Consulates in the United Kingdom and their jurisdiction
• Consular Section in Washington – Non-lucrative residence visa (2026 IPREM amounts in euros)
• Consular Section in Washington – Telework visa (2026 SMI amounts in euros)
• Consular Section in Washington – Study visa (2026 amounts in euros)
• Spain, Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration – Brexit: residents in Spain on 31 December 2020
• BOE – Real Decreto 1155/2024, Reglamento de Extranjería (in force since 20-05-2025)
• BOE – Ley 14/2013, de apoyo a los emprendedores y su internacionalización (arts. 63-67, 71, 74 bis-quinquies)
• BOE – Ley Orgánica 1/2025 (disposición final 21.ª: end of the investor visa)
• BOE – Ley 35/2006 del IRPF (arts. 9 and 93)
• BOE – Real Decreto 240/2007 (art. 8: residence card of family member of a Union citizen)
• BOE – Ley 7/1985, Reguladora de las Bases del Régimen Local (arts. 15-16: padrón)
• BOE – Convenio entre España y el Reino Unido para evitar la doble imposición (Londres, 14-03-2013)
• BOE – Acuerdo España-Reino Unido sobre reconocimiento recíproco y canje de permisos de conducir (Madrid, 15-03-2023)
• DGT – Países con convenio de canjes
• DGT – Permisos válidos para conducir en España
• Seguridad Social – Afiliación y Número de la Seguridad Social
• Agencia Tributaria – Plazo para el ejercicio de la opción por el régimen especial (modelo 149)
• Agencia Tributaria – Convenios de doble imposición firmados por España
• Banco de España (Portal del Cliente Bancario) – Cuenta de pago básica

General information taken from the official sources linked on this page. It is not legal advice and rules change: our partner immigration lawyers confirm your specific case.